Why You Shouldn’t Learn DITA: A practical approach for creating intelligent content
Demand continues to rise for the rapid publication of content across multiple distribution channels, straining traditional modes of creating content across industries and disciplines. To meet this challenge, organizations are turning toward intelligent content (e.g., structured XML or DITA) with the goal that focusing on upstream authorship will have a positive ROI for downstream distribution. However, they must often carefully balance the benefits of an XML production process with the lack of experience of their content contributors with XML and structured authoring. They need the advantages of structure, but they’re not as willing as more technically oriented businesses to deal with the discomfort that structured authoring implementations often entail.
How are organizations facing these challenges within their organizations, and how are tool vendors rising to the challenge of making XML easy? This session will explain the current trend toward simplicity and present profiles of organizations (clients and prospects) that are driving this move. Then we will explore various responses to this drive both within the standards community and by developers of XML solutions.
What can attendees expect to learn?
This session will be useful for managers and strategic planners in organizations that are implementing broader structured-authoring efforts in organizations not traditionally served by such technologies. It will also be ideal for consultants who need to implement solutions in a rapidly changing market to help them to prepare for new expectations and challenges.
Meet the Presenters
Bill Burns is an Applications Engineer for Vasont Systems. He has 22 years of experience in the technical communications and publishing tools industries, including 12 years as an XML/CCMS consultant. Bill provides technical consulting and training services specializing in XML technologies, content management, XSL publishing processes, single-source process development, technical writing, and content internationalization. He currently resides in Boise, Idaho.
Anthony Apodaca has worked in the US and internationally as an advocate of XML technologies, structured content, and publishing methodologies for the past 10 years. He thrives in distilling complex processes, tools, and workflows into something simple and manageable, while not compromising on the integrity of the end product. Currently, he is Business Development Executive at Xeditor and lives in Seattle, WA.